Body & soul retreat

A 4-DAY YOGA & NATURE RETREAT

May 21 – 24 & New dates to be announced

Relax, re-boot and restructure your body and your mind at this 4-day yoga and nature retreat.

Join Renee Holden, Fitness Professional, Personal Trainer, Movement Specialist, Thai Massage Practitioner, and Certified Yoga Tune-Up® Teacher at the fabulous Lodge at Pine Cove on Ontario’s French River. For four days, let nature, paddling adventure, and riverside lodging in exquisite cottages with lovely linens, fine food, wonderful wines and Renee’s personal brand of instruction take you to the next level of relaxation and help rejuvenate your body and soul for the fall.

Renee will assist you in learning techniques to self-sooth, massage, and re-hydrate tissues that limber you up and help you to either maintain or progress toward a pain and stress-free life. You will gain tools to make self-care a part of your daily routine and have an opportunity to head out on the river for a meditative kayak or canoe adventure.

No prior yoga or paddling experience is necessary. Students of all levels are welcome.

Renee Holden says, “It is great to see people become more fit, but my real love involves enhancing people’s lives through movement.” With over 26 years in the fitness business, Renee has done everything from lead fitness classes to provide personal training services. Over the past 15 years, she has focused on promoting self-care through health-care and has drawn upon her combination of skills to develop a unique mode of practice that embraces yoga but also integrates structural alignment, mobility, strength, and stress reduction. “Movement,” says Renee, “is medicine.”

Under Renee’s guidance, you will explore the principals of Soothing by gently stretching, kneading, and untangling your body’s tissues. Following a series of postures designed to improve breathing capacity, release stressed muscles, and increase your range of motion and strength, your body and soul will relax. Over the four days of this retreat, you will become better acquainted with your unique anatomical architecture and gain insight into how you can soothe and gently stretch it to regulate and tune out tension. Renee’s Bliss Workshops will give you specific techniques to un-kneed your muscles, create spaciousness, stability, and increased range of motion by using Yoga Tune-Up® Therapy Balls. Re-Boot Workshops will re-awaken muscles that co-exist to create a strong, centred core.

Based on two people sharing a bedroom with twin beds in a two or three-bedroom (first-come, first served) cottage with shared 3-piece bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, screened in porch overlooking the water. Tuition includes instruction, lodging for three nights, all meals, a pair of Yoga Tune-Up® Therapy balls and optional paddling and hiking.

Based on having a private bedroom in a two- or three-bedroom (first-come, first served) shared cottage with a shared 3-piece bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, private bedroom with a king bed, screened in porch overlooking the water. Tuition includes instruction, lodging for three nights, all meals, a pair of Yoga Tune-Up® Therapy balls and optional paddling and hiking.

Based on having a Standard or Deluxe (first-come, first served) private single-bedroom cottage with a king bed, private 3-piece bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, screened in porch overlooking the water. Tuition includes instruction, lodging for three nights, all meals, a pair of Yoga Tune-Up® Therapy balls and optional paddling and hiking.

Lodge Meals Based on having a Super Deluxe private single-bedroom cottage with a king bed, 3-piece bathroom plus huge copper soaking tub (except Paul Kane which has two screened in porches instead of tub), fully equipped kitchen, screened in porch overlooking the water. Tuition including lodging for three nights, all meals, a pair of Yoga Tune-Up® Therapy balls and optional paddling and hiking.

* If two people wish to share a 1 – bedroom private cottage (w/twins or king), the cost would be $820 + gratuities + HST each. If they wish to share a 1 – bedroom super deluxe private cottage, the cost would be $920 + gratuities + HST each.

How to Apply

Register online To secure your spot on a first-come, first deposit received basis.

Enrolment in the retreat is limited to 20. Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis so the earlier you apply the more likely we can confirm a spot for you.

Please complete and submit the online application. Once we have received it, we will contact you to arrange payment of a 50% deposit which will guarantee your placement in the retreat. Full payment is due 90 days before retreat begins .

When you are ready to make your payment, you can contact us at info@frenchriver.com and she will make arrangements for the payment. We accept Visa or Mastercard.

To understand how beautiful the lodge is, please visit The Lodge at Pine Cove website, browse through some of the 100+ reviews on Trip Advisor, or “Like” us on Facebook . Our guests will tell you about their canoeing, kayaking and hiking experiences, the quality of our food, our hamper breakfasts, immaculate cottages, friendly staff, and attention to detail. You will learn that the Lodge at Pine Cove offers a very special kind of peace, one that will undoubtedly contribute to your retreat experience.

Cancelation policy

If an applicant is unable to attend the retreat due to illness or other health problems, he or she will receive a refund for the amount paid, minus a $100 application fee, ONLY if we can fill their spot at the retreat. If they cancel 90 days before the retreat begins and we are unable to fill their spot, their payment (minus the $100 application fee) can be used as a credit toward a future booking this season or next at The Lodge at Pine Cove. If they cancel within 90 days, and we are unable to fill their spot, any payment made is NON-REFUNDABLE. We will endeavour to fill a spot left vacant due to illness or other health problems, but we are not able to guarantee it.

As the sun rises, with mist skittering across the mirror-like river and great blue herons standing silently on guard, you will paddle your canoe or kayak amid soaring maple, oak, and pine trees. As morning becomes day, you will enjoy a lovely breakfast on the banks of the river before the return paddle to The Lodge at Pine Cove. Paddling in the silence of the morning’s fresh air is great stress relief in itself. Take an opportunity to float effortlessly in a canoe or kayak while basking in the quiet of Pine Cove. Why not take the time to reflect and listen to the quiet sounds of nature?

Birkin’s Lake-Trail has something for everyone. It travels through some mature pine, spruce and oak forest; climbs over several spectacular rocky outcrops; passes through moss so thick you’ll want to sleep on it; and ends up at a beautiful little lake.

Moira’s Pond/North Channel Connector Trails can take you around Moira’s Pond and out along the North Channel of the French River. As you circumnavigate the pond, the forest opens up in areas. Small rugged jack pines become evident on the massive pink granite rocks. This landscape is typical of much of the Canadian Shield. Soon, you’ll come to the French River’s North Channel. You can leave the trail here and scramble along the river’s rocky shore.

Lodge Accommodations Currently a top-rated Specialty Lodge in Ontario by tripadivsor.com, The Lodge at Pine Cove combines some of Northern Ontario’s most iconic scenery with a comfortable bed and crisp clean linens. Once you enter the spectacular 6500-square-foot lodge, your worries will begin to disappear. By the time you cross the wooden footbridge that takes you over Pine Cove to the impeccably appointed cottages, you will be already be on your way to a stress-free retreat. The Lodge at Pine Cove is that kind of place.

Lodge Meals Breakfast comes to your cottage each morning in a hamper filled with homemade granola, yogurt, fresh fruit salad, juice, and freshly baked croissant. Lunch and dinner will be served in the Lodge. For dinner, you will be offered soup or salad, main course, dessert, and coffee. Wine, beer, and spirits are available for an extra charge. During the day, snacks, tea, coffee, and water will be available. **Please make us aware of any food restrictions you may have so we may ensure your meals suit you.**

All cottages have refrigerators and most cottages have fully equipped kitchens, though all meals for this retreat are provided. You’re welcome to bring your own wine, beer, and spirits for consumption in your cottage. The Lodge at Pine Cove features the lovely Bruléé Dining Room with a wraparound verandah that overlooks the French River and Rioux’s Bar. Social hour and all meals will be served in Rioux’s Bar. In the Lodge, all alcohol and food must be purchased from The Lodge at Pine Cove as stipulated by our Liquor License.

The Lodge at Pine Cove is a 4 – hour drive from Toronto (Hwy 401 and Hwy 7) and one hour from Sudbury. If coming from some distance, you can fly to Toronto and either rent a car or take the bus (ontarionorthland.ca) to Alban, ON. If you do not have a car or want to share the drive, please let us know and we will contact other participants to see if there is an opportunity for ride sharing. You can also fly to Sudbury, then take the bus to Alban. Pick up from the bus stop in Alban is available for a feefee – about a 20-minute drive.

Internet service via satellite is available in the lodge at no charge. Since our use of broadband is limited, you will not be able to download or stream audio or movies, use Skype or other VOIP applications, or access large files.